Question

Do you think it was a good decision to expand the Medicaid program? How has it grown in membership? If not, and you disagree with the expansion .... why? What has happened in other states? Be sure to include in your assessment to address why many legislators (particularly Republicans) have fought the expansion of Medicaid at the state level

Answer 1

Expansion of medicaid has been postulate dduring President Obama's tenure. The Supreme Court upheld most of President Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, it did strike down a key provision in healthcare law's expansion of Medicaid.

Under the original legislation, Medicaid, which is the joint state-federal government health insurance program for lower-income Americans would be expanded to cover those making 133 percent of the poverty level. States that refused to participate in this expansion would risk losing federal funding for their current Medicaid programs.

However, the Supreme Court ruled the federal government could not withdraw existing Medicaid funding to punish states for not expanding their programs, thus giving states the choice to opt out of the expansion.

In the long-term, the Medicaid expansion will save both state and federal governments money while extending healthcare coverage to millions of lower-income Americans.